


Buying Maseratis And Feeding Your Gal Catfish Dipped In Gold

by aKazani09



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Car Chases, Cigarettes, Driving, Flashbacks, Inspired by Baby Driver, M/M, McDonald's, POV Neil Josten, Panic, Panic Attacks, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-09
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:15:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23082337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aKazani09/pseuds/aKazani09
Summary: Neil felt off when they were at Eden’s, he felt watched. There was something so obviously wrong yet he couldn’t figure out what.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 7
Kudos: 162





	Buying Maseratis And Feeding Your Gal Catfish Dipped In Gold

Neil felt off when they were at Eden’s, he felt watched. There was something so obviously wrong yet he couldn’t figure out what.

He could feel his old habits rising up and he tried so hard not to give in to them. He’d come so far in making his life his instead of what his mother made it and for all that to go to waste because of a bad night was something he wouldn’t let happen.

Andrew sat next to him and silently threw back the rest of what was in his glass before fully acknowledging Neil and his fidgeting.

“What?”

Neil didn’t answer straight away. He’d started giving in and looking for all the exits, adding in those he now knew were in the back room from the times Andrew had taken him back there. As he looked around, he became tense and his breathing almost stopped completely.

There were men by the entrance, all similarly dressed and all staring directly at Neil. All of them stood eager to advance yet patient, each waiting for their chance to get back at the butcher’s boy: both for how he took down Nathan’s area of work and so took down theirs and for revenge on Nathan himself for how some of them were treated as well as revenge for those he’d slaughtered.

“They’re here.” He stated quietly, now automatically planning their escape route. Andrew then looked around too and now the idea was in his head, he couldn’t un see them. He started putting both their empty and full drinks back on the tray before getting up to head back to the bar, Neil following closely behind. Aaron, Kevin and Nicky were all caught on their way and informed of the situation.

“How many?” Nicky asked, suddenly becoming hyperaware of who was looking at them.

“Too many to fight back.” Andrew said leading them though the back room once he’d dumped the tray on the bar in such a manner that half the glasses, empty and full, fell over. Roland looked after them questioningly since they’d only just arrived but didn’t stop them.

Though nobody said it, they all heard it, and so as soon as they emerged from the side of the club and into the alley way they ran as fast as they could to the car, hearing the shouts and heavy footsteps of those pursuing them.

Neil, being the fastest, reached the car first and immediately got into the driver’s side. With no time to argue about who sat where, the others bundle in, Andrew taking the passenger side. Though he was panicked, he was still curious enough to silently question what Neil was going to do. Whenever Neil drove, he followed every rule and law there was, making sure he blended in as well as he could which was difficult when he drove a Maserati.  
That was how Andrew thought it was going to be until Neil violently reversed out of the parking spot and whipped the car towards the oncoming crowd of angry men. He sped onwards, not worried about hitting them as they leaped out of the way and quickly climbed into their own cars.

“We’re going to die,” Nicky commented from the back of the car, his arms pushed up against the roof of the car to reduce his chances of being flung into either Kevin or Aaron, “we are actually going to die.”

Nobody hurried to comment because they believed it too, especially when they properly got onto the roads and Neil carried on picking up the speed and twisting round corners which were becoming dangerously close to other cars and surrounding buildings. Everyone’s knuckled were white as they clutched onto whatever they could to keep themselves from smashing into the sides of the car or each other.

Neil tuned out everything but the Maserati, listening the squeal of the tires and feeling the vibrations of the car underneath his hands which were clenched around both the steering wheel and gear shift.

Once they reached the highway, he continued to pick up the speed and the Maserati had no objections, quickly hitting it’s top speed. Their chasers stuck fairly close, though Neil’s experiences left him clipping close to cars where they dared not and the distance between them was slowly growing.

He faintly heard Kevin talking but he was too focused on trying to put as much distance between them and his father’s men’s that it was all background noise. They continued this way for several miles before Andrew cut in.

“Exit here, Josten.”

He pointed at a quickly approaching exit which Neil was hesitant to go down. He could almost feel the cars behind them breathing down the back of his neck but he trusted Andrew and so quickly swerved onto the exit ramp at the last second and continued on just as quickly.

At the end of the exit ramp was a blockade of cars and a large van sat to the side with “FBI” printed on it. Neil sucked in a breath and began to slow as they neared, debating whether they could turn around or have to end their chase here.

“Keep going,” Andrew pointed to a gap to the blockade, “go through there.” Neil’s knuckles were white around the steering wheel and he sat rigid as he sped back up and and continued through the blockade. Everything was silent; at least for Neil, and as he looked in the mirror the van cut off the gap in the blockade ready to stop their pursuers.

They continued into the next town and Neil refused to make a sound, his whole body tense and his breathing shallow as they slowed to the actual speed limit.

“Pull over.” Andrew said after they’d driven for another 10 minutes.

He parked outside of a surprisingly still open McDonald’s and he cut off the engine. Everything was quiet and nobody moved. When Neil was like this, back in his runaway habits, it was like walking on eggshells and the slightest crack could set him off.

“Everyone get out,” Andrew said after a long minute. The three in the back seat quickly scrambled out and made their way into the McDonald’s. Neil still hadn’t moved but he faintly heard Kevin complain about entering the building as Aaron shoved him through the door.

The two sat quietly for a long time and Neil’s fingers were aching at how tight he was holding onto the steering wheel. He was afraid. Afraid of what would happen if he let go. He felt as if he couldn’t even judge what his own body would do if he let go. Andrew didn’t speak or move and though Neil was still facing forward, he could feel Andrew watching him, as if he too was struggling to judge what Neil’s next move would be.

Neil took in a shaky breath which felt like the first time he’d actually breathed since he entered Eden’s and he leant forward, resting his forehead slowly on the top of the steering wheel and then closing his eyes tightly. His hands began to shake as he loosened them, the last of the adrenaline leaving his body. He felt dizzy and the sound of blood rushing in his ears gradually subsided.

“Don’t break down on me now,” a voice said and a matching hand held onto the back of his neck.

“Is that supposed to be a bad joke?” he asked. He cringed at the sound of his own shaking voice but still turned his head to face Andrew. He could hardly see him in the dim light of the McDonald’s behind him.

Andrew let go of his neck and leant back against his seat, bringing out two cigarettes and lighting them before handing one to Neil. He sat back up but kept his head bowed, taking deep breaths of the cigarette smoke.

“How did they know to barricade that exit? How did you know to go down that exit?”

Andrew took a drag and didn’t look at Neil as he began his explanation: “Kevin called Coach and Coach called your FBI friends who came to save your ass.” He then face Neil, his voice getting sterner. “Did you not realise we never passed a cop? They were all avoiding that highway because otherwise they would have fucked up the FBI’s little plan which, luckily for you, worked.”

They continued to stare at each other, Neil seeking strength from Andrew’s gaze and Andrew letting him. “When I get back you better be sitting in this seat.” Andrew said before getting out. He dropped his cigarette on the ground, putting it out beneath his shoe before heading inside the McDonald’s.

Neil sighed as he hopped over the centre console and got comfortable in the passenger seat, relieved that he no longer had to touch the steering wheel. He wanted Andrew to return quickly because he could already tell he was beginning to ask himself where they were going next to avoid these people, where the nearest cache point was, did any cops see them. He knew the answer to all of these questions but he pushed them far, far away from where he’d remember them anytime soon.

The doors of the Maserati opened and everyone got back in. As Andrew sat in the driver’s seat he dumped a packet of fries onto Neil’s lap.

“Eat.” He said as he pulled back out onto the road and headed towards their home in Columbia.

The ride home was silent. Neil hardly touched his fries, only eating a couple before forgetting about them. When they got home the three in the back hesitated for a second before getting out and heading inside, ready to put the nights events to rest. Andrew and Neil, however stayed sitting in the car.

After a long minute, Andrew slowly began starting the car back up again.

“No.” Neil quickly latched onto the door handle and opened it a jar, spilling his fries over the footwell in the process. Both of them sat frozen, Neil braced to jump out of the car whether they were moving or not and Andrew’s hand still wrapped around the key in the ignition.

They looked at each other for a second before Neil darted out of the car, tripping over his own feet on his way out and falling to his knees. He could feel his throat closing up and he involuntarily whimpered. He was bowed low to the ground, screwing his eyes shut. One hand grasped at the grass around him and the other at the collar of his shirt, trying to find some sort of anchor that would allow him to take a breath.

A hand found his neck and he sat up slightly to find Andrew’s steady glare staring back at him.

“Breath.”

Neil wheezed and let out a dry sob before taking in an actual breath. He gasped and bowed forward, his forehead touching the ground as he attempted to steady his breathing.

They sat together for a while longer, Neil using Andrew to keep himself both physically and mentally steady and Andrew gladly let him.

“Come on,” Andrew’s hand left his neck but tugged on his sleeve. Neil looked up to see him squatting. Andrew’s other hand slowly crept up, “Yes or no?”

Neil nodded and let out a hoarse yes. Andrew continued his movements and wiped the dirt off of Neil’s forehead. Not gently, but the act itself was intimate enough for Neil to internally soften.

Andrew rose from the ground yet still held onto his sleeve, Neil’s hand hanging limply between them. He tugged again.

“Come on.”

Neil slowly rose to his feet and followed Andrew inside and up to their room. He felt sluggish as he dragged his feet up the stairs, mindful that Andrew was taking the stairs slowly for him.

Once they’d reached their room Andrew pretty much dragged Neil around, the two of them silent except for the quiet “yes or no?”’s. After Neil was finally dressed, Andrew quickly retreated into the bathroom to get himself ready.

When Andrew eventually emerged, Neil was where he’d left him: sitting on the edge of the bed, not really looking at anything. He approached slowly and squatted down in front of him.

“Neil,” Neil looked down at him but otherwise didn’t move, “You’re safe. You have me and the others. We protect each other now.” Andrew paused before continuing. “Kevin called Wymack for you. Nicky called the foxes for you. Aaron called Roland for you. You’re safe here, you’re safe in Palmetto and you’re safe at Eden’s.”

They looked at each other for a minute more before Neil nodded and shuffled back slightly, laying down and pulling the duvet over himself. Andrew climbed to his side of the bed and got settled, watching the back of Neil’s head. After a couple minutes Neil turned to face him.

Though he didn’t say it verbally, Andrew saw the “thank you” in his expression. He didn’t comment on it but he did offer his hand between them which Neil took not a second later and they fell asleep hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please leave comments as I'd love to hear what y'all have to say and feel free to point out any mistakes!


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